Package.



J. F. DIXON.

PACKAGE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6, 1911.

1,078,263. Patented N0v.11, 1913.

"UNI ED sTA'rns mum option 1 JAMES F. DIXON, or Kansas CITY, ivrrsso unr, AssieNon 'ro IRVING HILL, or

LAWRENCE, Kansas.

rAo AGE.

Appl c on fi dil n 6, ia No. 63 ,6 f

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES F DIXQN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Kansas City, county of Jackson, 'and- State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Packages, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to paper boxes or cartons, with more particular reference to shipping boxes made from corrugated paper board. As is well known, this material is exceedingly light in weight and very strong, tough and resilient, thus making it a very desirable material. for packages of this character in view of its light weight and the consequent saving in freight and express charges. In manufacturing these packages for delivery to consumers, it will be apparent that the same should be prepared 1n a flat or knocked-down condition, in order to avoid excessive bulk, and their construction should be such that the box may be easily opened and prepared forthe reception of the goods designed to be packed therein, and then readily closed and sealed. On account of the character of the material from which these corrugated boxes are made, the proper closure and sealing of the same is attended with some difiiculties. Furthermore, transportation companies insist upon seals or closures meeting certain requirements, and the present invention has more particularly in view novel means for cording a box of this character to fully meet these requirements. 7 My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 is an end edge viewof a. box embodying my invention in its flat and knocked-down condition; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same in an open condition, prior to the folding over of the top and bottom flaps, the dotted lines showing the same in a partially open condition; Flg. 3 is a similar view of the same with the end flaps turned down, showing the manner in which the sealing cord is passed around and through the sides of the box; Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the box, corded and sealed, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the same, taken substantially on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings in detail,

Specification of Letterslatenfi Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

Iliave shown in Fig. 1 a corrugated paper box in a flat or knocked-down condition, this box being made in a common and well-. known manner froma single strip of doublefaced corrugated paper, this stri being first suitably scored, to provide for the proper folding of the same to form the box corners, and slotted to provide for the flaps which are bent over to form the top and bottom of the box, after which said strip is folded upon itself and the meetingend edges joined together by a corner strip 11 of flexible niaterial which is applied to said edges with any desired kind, of adhesive compound. This corner strip 11 covers the major middle portion only of these meeting end edges, the ends thereof being left open to correspond with the slits 12 at the other corners. It will be apparent thatwhen this strip is'opened, as shown in Fig. 2, upper end flaps or wings 13 and 14: and upper side flaps or wings 15 and 16 are provided, which may be folded down to form the top of the box. Similarly, the slits in the lower edge of the sheet provide corresponding end flaps 17 and '18 and side flaps 19 and 20, which may be similarly folded under to form the bottom of the box. In Fig. 3 I have shown the bottom flaps or wings so folded, the upper end flaps 13 and 14 folded down, and the upper side flaps 15 and 16 ready to be so folded.

Sofar as described, this box or carton is of common and well-known construction. Railroad and express companies, however, have objected to this character of package on accountof the fact that it was diflicult to secure and seal the same in such manner as to prevent unauthorized access to the contents of the box without detection. To provide sealing means of the desired character, and which meet the requirements of the transportationcompanies, I provide each of the sides of the box with two perforations, one locatednear the upper and one near the lower edge of said side and each at substantially the middle thereof. In each of the bottom side flaps 19 and 20, I provide two perforations, correspondingly located, and in each of the lower end flaps 17 and 18 I provide a single perforation located near the folded edge of the flap at substantially the middle thereof.

When the strip from which the box is formed has been scored, slit and perforated, in the manner described, a stout cord or the like is passed through these perforations in such manner that when the blank isvopened and the various flaps bent over to form a substantially rectangular package, this cord 21 isin position to be drawn taut by its two ends which are then secured together and sealed. To this end, this cord 21 is passed in through the upper perforation 22 in the side 23 of the box, out through the perforation 24 at the lower edge of said side, and in'again through the perforation 25 in the lower end flap 17 of the box. The cord is then passed out through the perforation 2,6 in the opposite lower end flap 18, around the contiguous corner, in through the lower perforation 27 in the side 28, out through the perforation 29 near the upper edge of said side, and around the upper side corner V edge of said side and around the contiguons corner, where this end of the cord is passed aroundthat portion of the cord on top of the box between the perforation 29 and 32, the two ends of the cord being then joined together at 42 in any preferred manner, preferably by providing a loop 43 at one end of the cord through which the other end is passed, the latter being then brought back upon itself and the two strands secured I together by meansv of a collapsible sheetmetal seal 44:, through which'these'strands are passed, and when the cord isdrawn taut the seal is crushed or collapsed to bind said strands within the seal; These seals are of many well-known forms, such as used for freight car doors, money-bags, and various packages, it being the usual custom to impress certain words ,oreharacters into the crushed seal to prevent duplication thereon In providing a closure of this character, it is obviously not the intention to pre vent forcible access to the interior of the package. The material of which the package is constructed, in itself, would tend to make such access easy. Consequently, there is no attempt in the provision of this cord and seal to add to the difiiculties of breaking into the package. It is the intention, however, to prevent such access without detection, to which end, if the ends of the cord are connected and sealed together in any one of many well known ways, it will be apparent that any surreptitious or forcible entry, or other tampering with the closure would be at once apparent. With respect to my invention, it will be noted that in addition to providing a box which may be so corded as to be sealed against any ordinary attempt to open without detection, the cording is effected in such manner that the cord may be applied when the box is in its flat or knocked-down condition, the cord not interfering with the ready conditioning of the box for the reception of its proposed contents, it being only necessary, when the box is opened from its fiat condition, filled and then closed in its substantially rectangular form, to draw the cord taut and seal the ends thereof together in the manner described or in any other usual and satisfactory manner.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

In combination, a box or carton formed froma single substantially parallelogrammatic blank, slit and scored and capable of being so folded as to bring two of the edges thereof together, leaving the folded blank substantially flat but adapted to be opened readily into a rectangular form, means for securing said meeting edges together, extensions being formed by said slits at both ends of each of the four sides of said rectangular form, said extensions being adapted to be folded inwardly and overlap to form a closed top and a closed bottom, and a tape rove through openings on said blank when in its flat condition, passing through each side of said rectangular form and adapted for use to reinforce all four edges of both said top and said bottom and secure said top and bottom in their closed posit-ions.

In testimony of the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES F. DIXON. lVitnesses:

H. A. WILLSON, H. W. MCCARTY.

' Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

